Landschap met jagers bij de jachtbuit en een vaas 1871

Paul Emile Nicolié created this print, "Landschap met jagers bij de jachtbuit en een vaas," using etching. It is a technique with a long history that involves coating a metal plate with a waxy, acid-resistant substance, drawing through it, and then immersing the plate in acid, which bites into the exposed lines. The velvety blacks and subtle greys are results of this process, of controlled corrosion. The depicted scene is one of aristocratic leisure: hunters pausing with their dogs after a successful outing. Dead game are displayed, almost reverentially. This image speaks to a system of privilege and access, both in the depicted hunting party and also in the practice of etching itself. The skills required to create such a print were acquired through specialized training, and a sign of cultural capital. Looking at this print, we should be attentive not only to the scene it depicts but also to the techniques of its making, as it is through these means that Nicolié’s image becomes so eloquent, encoding social distinctions in the very fabric of the artwork.